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Just moments ago we received notification from Family Tree DNA that the current $39.00 Y-DNA promotion will expire at the end of March. While this may seem disappointing to those who have not planned to request their 12 marker test until after the end of the month, here is some great news from Family Tree DNA:

“Due to the recent upgrade of our state-of-the-art laboratory, coupled with research and development into increasing lab efficiency, we are able to permanently offer the basic Y-DNA12 test for $49 beginning April 1, 2013. The current sale of Y12 at $39 will end at 11:59PM CST, March 31,2013. We are also working on bringing down the price of the basic mtDNA test as well; we hope to have that accomplished during the first half of this year.”

Additionally, Family Tree DNA announced that they are increasing the size of their customer service staff to properly handle the greater workload brought on by their large increase in business.

This is great news for Family Tree DNA, great news for the consumer, and really great news for the future of genetic genealogy!

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Ancestry.com has announced that their autosomal DNA Test, previously available only to members of Ancestry’s search site, is now available to all US residents.

Read the press release:

(PROVO, Utah) – February 21, 2013–Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced the public availability of its AncestryDNA test to U.S. residents. This easy-to-use, comprehensive test provides consumers with their genetic ethnicity and the unique opportunity to connect DNA results directly to any applicable Ancestry.com family trees, matching test takers with other close or distant family members. Combined, these features provide the most complete snapshot of one’s family history that has ever been available.

Interest in using DNA to explore family history is growing. In a 2012 Harris Interactive survey, 56 percent of Americans—more than 110 million people—stated they would be interested in taking a DNA genealogy test. This number is 14 percent higher than the previous year. For many, this interest in family history extends far beyond American soil. Nearly two out of three respondents told Harris that learning about their family’s roots outside the U.S. is one of the most important benefits of researching family history.

AncestryDNA picks up where the paper trail leaves off. Whereas older consumer DNA tests utilized only 46 DNA markers, this new test analyzes more than 700,000 DNA marker locations and cross-references them with its one-of-a-kind comprehensive worldwide catalogue of DNA samples. The combination of an individual’s DNA with more than 40 million family trees and 11 billion records on Ancestry.com can help people find specific ancestors as far back as the mid-17th century by connecting with living relatives. Additionally, AncestryDNA gives people their ethnic breakdown by percentage from 20 populations including the British Isles or Native American—automatically tracing their ethnicity and displaying the results in an interactive and simple way.

“AncestryDNA provides consumers with exciting insights into their ethnic background and helps them find relatives who may hold the keys to exciting new family history discoveries,” said Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of Ancestry.com. “As a company, we are committed to helping people connect with their past and we are excited to be able to offer a unique, affordable, and easy way for people to learn even more about their personal history.”

AncestryDNA helps determine geographic and ethnic origins by comparing test-takers’ unique DNA signatures to the DNA of people from across the globe. In the initial beta release, users were matched with a significant number of living relatives, and more than two million fourth-cousin DNA matches have been found for customers potentially sharing an ancestor in the database. As more people take the test, the database will continue to grow, providing a richer experience and more clues. People who have already taken the test receive regular updates with the latest findings. Because these results include the users’ ethnicities, they may produce surprising findings that provide additional curiosities for future research. Since the launch, 7.7 million ancestors are now available to discover through family trees linked to DNA results.

“We believe that the cutting edge of DNA technology used in AncestryDNA will revolutionize the entire family history experience,” said Ken Chahine, Senior Vice President and General Manager of AncestryDNA. “We have already seen huge success with our beta launch as users discover new clues and living relatives passed down through DNA. As more people take the test, we look forward to seeing even greater results and more family history connections.”

Find out where you come from with an AncestryDNA test. You can learn even more about your family history by visiting Ancestry.com and signing up for a free 14-day trial.

Pricing and Availability

AncestryDNA is now available and tests start at $129 for Ancestry.com subscribers. Learn more at www.ancestrydna.com.

About Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com Inc. is the world’s largest online family history resource, with approximately 2 million paying subscribers. More than 11 billion records have been added to the site in the past 16 years. Ancestry users have created more than 44 million family trees containing more than 4 billion profiles. In addition to its flagship site www.ancestry.com, Ancestry.com offers several localized websites designed to empower people to discover, preserve and share their family history.

About Ancestry.com DNA, LLC

Ancestry.com DNA, LLC is a subsidiary of Ancestry.com Inc. AncestryDNA uses a simple test to analyze an individual’s DNA. AncestryDNA offers the potential of identifying new insights into people’s ancient ancestry to help them collaborate with distant cousins and make even more discoveries in their family history. For more information visit www.ancestrydna.com.